My Trail Name

Here I am in Erwin, TN! I did three 20+ mile days consecutively after leaving Hot Springs, NC! I've been feeling great and I'm hiking without my knee brace! I'm 340 miles into this hike and I'm excited for some upcoming things! Roan Mountain (6,284 ft.) and several great hostels along the trail, to name a few.. My next stop will be Roan Mountain, TN. Also, here's the dish about my trail name below..
It's Soulslosher. No, not Soulslasher. Soulslosher. I had one thru-hiker that was avoiding me because he thought I was some evil person looking to slash his soul and any other unfortunate hiker's that might get in my way.. Also, some hikers call me Soul; others call me Slosher.
So, why Soulslosher? I didn't follow thru-hiker tradition and let others name me. I named myself: Soulslosher. To me, this name represents how I view myself and my place in this world (and one of the reasons why I'm hiking the AT). Now, I want you to know that I just might get a little "out there" right now in my explanation of my trail name...
Ok, so I think we all have a "soul". Regardless of what it is, I think we all have one. And I think that in order to get the most out of life, you need to shake things up. Try things you wouldn't normally do. Stimulate you senses, your soul, your mind. Try things that make you feel ALIVE! It seems that for most people, the best they can "shake things up" is by watching something new on television or the like. Not me, I want something more! I crave it.
Get the picture I'm painting? So, what's another word for shake? Slosh! Put them both together and what do you have? SOULSLOSHER!
Peace out peoples! Back to hikin'!

Pictures!

What a long, timely, and cumbersome process. I twiddled my thumbs in the Hot Springs library while these photos uploaded. To see the photos, please click on the "Pics from the Trail" link to the right. The pictures are from my start on Springer Mt. in GA to the Smoky Mts. in NC/TN. I would have uploaded all the pics I have, but the library laptop died during uploading. Nonetheless, enjoy. The newest photos are first.
I've also added photos to previous posts. So feel free to scroll down and view them. :-)

Trail Magic

It's magical, really. Trail magic can be anything that assists a hiker.. and it's usually unexpected. Things such as food/drinks found along the trail, rides into town, strangers providing aid, etc. Usually trail magic comes in small packages, if you will. However, there are exceptions.. The trail magic I hit at Brown's Gap was anything but small.
Day hikers going in the opposite direction tell me of trail magic about 7 miles ahead. They didn't tell me what it was, just that it was there. I get super excited because two days before, I came across two coolers full of nothing. They were trail magic at one time, but not when I got there... So, I'm thinking to myself "I'm gonna get me some of that trail magic.. I don't care what it is!"
I arrive about at Brown's Gap in about 2.5 hours and see two huge tents set up, a trailer hooked up to a SUV, chairs everywhere, and a huge sign that says "Welcome AT thru hikers!" OMG! The mother-load!!
It's officially called "Brown's Gap Hiker Feed 2011" sponsored by the Rat Patrol. They are there set up for 3 days. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner to thru hikers, depending on what time you get there. Or, if you like, you can stay and have all 3. I rolled in for lunch, which was hamburgers, soda, candy, and "mana" -- and man, was it good! I was having such a great time with the food, people, and entertainment, I ended up staying for dinner. Can you believe they served steaks, corn on the cob done on the grill, homemade coleslaw, beans, soda, "mana", ham, cornbread, and fresh fruit for dinner?!
Most will agree that trail magic is a significant part of the AT experience. And it's not just about free food/drinks, etc. It's about the amazing people you meet, the stories you hear and share, the entertainment of it all... it's magical!

My plan for that day was to camp on top of Max Patch and watch the sunset and sunrise. I got to Max Patch with very little time to spare. I caught the last half of the sunset. Gail force winds kept me up most of the night.. thinking if my tent poles were going to snap or if my rain fly would end up in the valley below. But about 6 am, I didn't care! The sunrise was so beautiful! I've never seen such rich colors painting the sky!
All of that was two days ago. Here I am in Hot Springs, NC! Mile # 271. I'm taking a "nero" here. I only hiked 3 miles into town and now I'm staying at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn; an antiquey, Victorian, knic-knacky place. But full of charm! :-)

The Smokies

The Smoky Mountains-- pure. majestic. beauty.
I left Fontana Dam 5 days ago with about 6 days of food and I felt every ounce climbing up to the ridge to enter the park. Once up on the ridges though, the views in the Smokies are among the best along the entire trail! Also, the highest point on the AT is in the Smokies-- Clingman's Dome at 6,643 feet!
The weather was at both ends of the spectrum during my hike through the park. I had three really nice days and two really bad days. When it rained, the trail became sort of a slip n' slide with a fierce wind to boot. Often times, I was so high up in elevation that I was above the clouds--and above the weather. This was the case in summiting Clingman's Dome. It was pouring/thunder/lightening but once I broke through the clouds, crystal clear views from the observation deck!
All in all, the Smokies were awesome: I hiked through wild flowers so thick along the forest floor that it looked like it just snowed. I hiked through corridors of thick pine trees covered in moss-- they blocked out the sun. I hiked above the clouds, in the clouds, below the clouds. I hiked on ridges less than 10 feet across with shear drops on either side. I hiked along blooming forests in the valley and along leaf-less ridges.
I exited the park today and now I'm staying at Standing Bear Farm Hostel in Tennessee. A very unique and serene place. You would just have to be here to understand..
I have updated the Itinerary link as well. :-) My next stop is Hot Springs, NC.

The First 100

There have been some tough days since I left Hiawassee... I forgot some gear and food at the Blueberry Patch Hostel so I had to hitch back into town. Once back to the trail head again, it was 12 miles all uphill to my stop for the night. The day after that was brutally hot, over 80 degrees. The night of April 11th and during the day of April 12th brought thunderstorms and rain. I woke up to a pool of water on my tent floor; thus everything was soaked. On April 12th, I hiked the 16 miles in the rain/sleet to the road crossing for Franklin, NC so I could clean up, eat a nice meal, and take a hairdryer to all of my gear. The weather forecast for the next few days says we'll have nice weather!
Therefore, I'm in Franklin, NC and staying at Ron Haven's Budget Inn. Ron Haven is a trail legend in his own right. For dinner, I went to the steakhouse with DD & Mrs. T (Dutch couple) and ate more than I really care to admit... (it included an 18oz steak and 3 sides). Tomorrow for breakfast a local church is providing an AYCE pancake and bacon breakfast! You had better believe I'm gonna hit that up!! After that, it's back to hiking and my next stop will be the Nantahala Outdoor Center, universally known to hikers as the NOC, about 30 miles away.

**I have also updated the Itinerary link, which has my daily mileage, town stops, etc.**

Some interesting facts & a glimpse into the "trail life":

• My current mileage hiked is 107.5
• Breakfast consists of two packets of oatmeal mixed w/ hot cocoa powder
• Snacks are peanut M&Ms, Snickers, Baby Ruths, peanut butter, etc.
• Lunch can be cheese, peperoni, summer sausage, tortillas, bagels, peanut butter, etc.
• Dinner is always a rice/pasta dish (Lipton/Knorr sides) mixed w/ a tuna packet
• The trail is marked with white blazes-- very hard to get lost
• I usually hike alone but see reoccurring people when I stop for breaks, the night, etc.
  
• Highest peak so far was Standing Indian (5,498 feet)

Goodbye Georgia..

These past few days have been really spectacular! I've been ramping up my mileage and the weather has more or less been fantastic. My knee is holding out. The downhills kinda hurt, but who's knees don't when going downhill?! Yesterday was kinda misty/showery but it was a nice change from the brutal sun of the day before. I've been meeting a lot of different people out on the trail. I'm even meeting some people that started before me. I finally met up with Sparkplug and Poppins at Dick's Creek Gap while waiting for a hitch! So excited to see them and that they are still on the trail! I even saw Comeback wondering around Hiawassee! Always good to see your friends around.. Tonight, I'm at the Blueberry Patch Hostel for the night of April 9th. It's a Christian Ministry in their 19th year serving thru-hikers. I took a "nero" (near 'zero' day--where you hike 0 miles) here in Hiawassee at the Blueberry Patch to shower, do laundry, resupply, and rest. I also hit the AYCE (all you can eat) for dinner. Tomorrow I will cross into North Carolina! I'm so excited-- my first state line! The terrain is getting higher! My next stop will be Franklin, about 40 miles away. Well, I'm gonna go hitch back to the Patch! Catch y'all later!

Off to a Great Start!!

Here I am at Neel's Gap, which is about 31 miles from Springer Mountain, the start of the trail. Statistically speaking, not many people make it this far.. I have resupplied here with enough to make it to Haiwassee (3-4 days up the trail). OH! and there was some AWESOME trail magic here at Neel's Gap as well! A church in Georgia (soooo sorry I forgot the name!!) was providing hot hamburgers, cookies, and brownies. I had 3 hamburgers and some brownies.. Spirits are high! Two nights ago we were rocked by a severe storm-- hail, rain, snow, high wind. Fuuunnnn time... I've met some nice folks already.. This couple from Holland matches my hiking pace. They're teaching me some Dutch words. Until next time,
Soulslosher out!

And So It Begins...

Well, here I am at the Hiker Hostel! I will need today to rest up due to my lack of sleep on the train. Good thing I planned it that way.. if I wanted to, I could have started today. I will start hiking tomorrow, April 3rd. I'm a bit nervous.. but I'm looking forward to this journey! Hike on...